


Regulus Meets Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony

by simplysirius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Feels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, James x Regulus, Jegulus, M/M, One Shot, Pining, Relationship(s), Remus x Sirius, jegulus angst, jegulus fluff, regulus x james, sirius x regulus, sirius x remus, wolfstar, wolfstar angst, wolfstar fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:29:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29543106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplysirius/pseuds/simplysirius
Summary: When Regulus stumbles upon an injured Remus, surrounded by a stumbling Sirius and a tall stag walking towards the castle, he learns there’s more to James than meets the eye.
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 167





	Regulus Meets Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @simplysirius for daily fics and fan art! I also take requests :)

Regulus loved early mornings, when the mist hadn’t yet lifted around the Hogwarts castle, the dew on the grass still cold underneath his feet, the stillness of the air as the birds chirped awake. He often slipped out of the Slytherin dorm before the others woke and stole away to the courtyard, for a few moments of silent bliss, the spring air biting at his cheeks.

It was peaceful. Except for the gasping cry breaking through the quiet day.

Regulus squinted towards the Whomping Willow looming in the distance, its branches full of tiny leaves not yet blossomed, where a group of figures slowly walked across the field. He couldn’t make out their shapes, at first, but as the intruders came closer, Regulus caught the unmistakable sight of his brother’s long hair.

Sirius was walking beside an animal – a deer, perhaps, or maybe a moose? – carrying the bloodied and bruised body of Remus Lupin on its back.

Jumping over the rampart and sprinting through the field, Sirius and the animal suddenly stopped, their eyes frozen wide, as Regulus came closer. Sirius tried to hide Remus behind his body, still keeping a steady hand on his shoulder to keep him balanced, but Regulus had already seen enough.

“What happened?” Regulus shouted, craning his head around Sirius but keeping a safe distance from the animal, its tall horns sharp and intimidating as its nostrils flared, carefully watching him.

“We have to get him to the infirmary,” Sirius said weakly, mustering what little strength he had left in his body to force his feet forwards. “C’mon, Prongs.”

The animal obliged, pushing past Regulus towards the castle.

“Were you out all night? Did you go into the forest? What were you thinking?” Regulus rambled, stumbling to keep up with them.

Sirius ignored every question, entirely focused on keeping Remus secure as his body swayed with Prongs’ gait. Remus’ clothes were ill-fitting and stained with a mixture of mud and rust, not quite able to hide the gash along his chest, nor the cut down his thigh. His eyes fluttered every few steps, mumbling something incoherent towards Sirius, who seemed to translate easily. If he was unnerved by the blood staining his hands and crusted underneath his fingernails, he didn’t show it.

“I’m not going anywhere, Moony, don’t worry. I got you,” Sirius assured, tucking a loose curl behind Remus’ ear.

Regulus flinched, all too aware of the animal peering at him out of the corner of its eye, and stepped in stride with Sirius. “Remus is half dead; what the hell did you do to him?”

Sirius suddenly wheeled at Regulus, just as they crested the hill and entered the courtyard. Prongs’ hooves echoed loudly on the cobblestone, no matter how lightly he tried to tread. “It’s none of your concern, Regulus.”

The large wooden doors opened and Madame Pomfrey stepped out of the castle, pushing a wheelchair in front of her as she marched over to the boys. Her eyes found Regulus for only a moment, twisted with confusion, before she was occupied with Remus.

Prongs lowered to his knees, long legs gracefully folding underneath him as Sirius and Madame Pomfrey eased Remus off his back and into the wheelchair.

“You’ve had a long night, boys,” Madame Pomfrey sighed, grimacing at Remus’ wounds. She ghosted the tip of her wand over his skin to seal some of the superficial cuts before wheeling him back towards the school.

Sirius lapped on her heels, stopping for only a moment when he sensed he was alone. He glanced back at Prongs, still knelt beside Regulus. “You coming?”

Prongs snorted, nosing the ground.

It was a decision they should have talked about first. When to tell Regulus. What to tell him. How to tell him. But Remus was hurting, and Sirius’ place was by his bedside, holding his hand as he waited for the magic to heal his body. He had to go.

Sirius nodded only once before he turned back down the hall, disappearing into the dark castle.

Prongs rose to his feet, once again towering over Regulus as the boy stumbled backwards. The animal was muscled and proud, its large horns a dozen pointed tips ready to attack at any moment. Its russet fur glowed chestnut in the morning light, and each breath left his wide nostrils in a puff of steam.

It was terrifying, Regulus decided, standing so close he could smell the earthy musk lingering on its breath, but he wasn’t scared. Not when he looked into the animal’s eyes, a mystifying hazel hue, tones of green and brown laced together in a pattern so familiar, Regulus couldn’t help but fall closer to the animal. He slowly raised a hand and sunk his fingers into the warm fur on Prongs’ neck, coarse and stiff underneath his soft palm.

The deer didn’t flinch or spook. It stood there and let Regulus gently touch, staring into his eyes, silently debating its next move.

Prongs took a step back, removing himself from Regulus’ grasp. He sighed, bowing his head, hoping Regulus could forgive him.

And then it happened.

Regulus blinked, and in one second, the giant deer stood in front of him. The next, the deer’s fur began to recede, its antlers fall away, its hooves sprouting fingers, and then toes. By Regulus’ next breath, the animal was gone, and in its place, James Potter, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, bottom lip caught sharply between his teeth.

“Hi,” James said wryly as Regulus blinked at him with parted lips and taut muscles. James stepped closer, but Regulus flinched. “If you’re going to faint, at least let me catch you.”

Regulus only shook his head. He wasn’t going to faint. Scream, maybe. Scream at James for keeping secrets, scream at Sirius for never telling him, scream at Remus for doing the same. Dating James Potter was not easy; that much Regulus knew from the onset of this whole thing, from the very first time he felt his heart lurch against his ribcage when he saw James smiling at him from across the Great Hall at dinner. But this was something entirely different. This was dating James Potter, master secret keeper, part-time animal, part-time boyfriend. Was there more he was hiding?

“You’re going to catch a cold,” James murmured, eyeing the goosebumps trailing up and down his arms. “Let’s go inside.”

“What’s going on–”

“Regulus,” James interrupted firmly, the long night weighing heavily in the dark circles under his eyes. “Please.”

The boys took muffins from the Great Hall for breakfast and found an empty classroom deep within the back halls of the castle, the morning light reflecting in the dust particles floating in the air as James pulled aside the curtains. He sat on the edge of a desk, toying with the muffin in his hands as Regulus stood before him, waiting.

“You can’t tell anyone,” James cautioned, his eyes meeting Regulus with absolute finality. “Sirius and I will go to jail if you do. And Remus…he’ll be sentenced to die.”

Regulus nodded slowly.

“Remus has…a condition. Every month, Sirius and I take him somewhere so he doesn’t hurt anyone. But it wasn’t safe for us, either, so we decided to turn ourselves into animagi so we could protect him. It took a couple years to figure everything out, but it’s easy now.”

“You just…decided to become animagi?” Regulus asked, his eyebrows knitting together. “Isn’t that a whole process with the Ministry? How did you get approved?”

James’ lips twisted as he grimaced at Regulus from underneath a mop of unruly hair.

“You didn’t,” Regulus deadpanned. “You two are illegal animagi.”

“Something like that,” James nodded. “Madame Pomfrey is the only one who knows.”

Regulus stood quietly for a moment, letting the words settle around his shoulders. “What about Remus? What’s really wrong with him?”

James’ fingers picked at the crispy bits of his muffin, chewing on his lip. This wasn’t his secret to tell. But James had little choice. “He was bitten. As a kid. Every full moon it just…happens.”

Regulus didn’t need any further explanation. It was difficult to imagine Remus’ body overtaken by some primordial beast, so far removed from the tea and books and gentle kindness Regulus had always seen. At the end of the day, Remus was still a friend to Regulus – a genuine, true friend that didn’t care about his last name – and there wasn’t a reason to change that.

Rolling his muffin in his hand, Regulus glanced up at James. “So you’re a deer?”

“I’m a stag,” James corrected emphatically, taking a bite from his muffin. “Sirius is a dog.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. “You guys couldn’t have picked anything cooler? Like a leopard or a tiger or something?”

“You don’t get to pick. And stags are very cool, thank you very much.”

“I don’t know about that,” Regulus hummed in disagreement. “Stags are kind of boring.”

James jumped off the desk and huffed. “Stags are super cool. Did you see my antlers? They’re huge and have tons of pointy parts and can definitely stab people who think that they aren’t cool.” He jabbed a finger in Regulus’ stomach.

Smiling, Regulus inched closer towards James’ mouth, cocking an eyebrow. “So you’re a deer with big pointy things coming out of your head. Does that make you…horny?”

James’ jaw dropped, his normally chaste boyfriend grinning wickedly at his burning cheeks. “I think I’m a bad influence on you, Regulus Black.”

“The worst,” Regulus agreed, kissing him.


End file.
